It's a bit lastminute.com but after doing 3 Coast-to-Coast Cycle rides over the last 18 months and each time saying that I should do the ride for charity I have decided to get my finger out and give it a go.

Next week myself and five of my friends (Garry, Phil, John, Keith and Fargy) are travelling to Tenerife for 3 nights to attempt to cycle up Mt Teide from our base in Los Cristianos.

My lovely wife Bronya, thinks it's an excuse for a 'lads beano' which includes a bit of cycling but in fact it is quiet a serious challenge. Mount Teide is used by many professional cycling teams, including Team Sky (Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome) as a base for winter training, our 40 mile route to the summit involves a constant 32 mile climb from Los Cristianos to the volcano plateau and an 8 mile 'flat' to the highest point on the road which is 2356 meters/7730 feet above sea level (Ben Nevis is 1344 meters).

The climb is the longest continuous climb in europe, which involves changes in temperature from the heat of the coast to the cold of the plateau and a 'slight' chance of acute mountain sickness due to the high altitude. The descent back to Los Cristianos is not without its dangers with long straights and tight hairpins meaning care has to be taken!!

It's not a Beano....there wont be many beers consumed when we finish the Mt Teide ride as the following day we are cycling the Masca Loop in the north west of the island, we will however have time to celebrate our achievements that night before we fly home the following day.

Throughout the trip I will endeavour to post updates/pictures on facebook (mark.hetherington.31) and/or twitter (@big_blue_70) and you can follow me on Strava (Mark Hetherington, Dearham) which is a sort of facebook for cyclists if you are wondering!!!

Please give as much as you can afford, every little helps.....

Hospice at Home West Cumbria was established in 1987 to provide the best possible palliative care to local people and to give help and support to their family and carers, and to the bereaved. Hospice at Home West Cumbria needs to raise over £1m each year to maintain and develop its services. A quarter of this comes from the NHS. The rest has to be raised by the Charity through its shops and fundraising activities.

Last year our:

 

·         Home nurses cared for over 266 people at the end of their lives. This is over 11,500 hours of night and day care.

·         Lymphoedema nurses cared for 274 people with swollen limbs caused by excess fluid in their tissue. This is the only service in West Cumbria to help those with this condition.

·         Family and bereavement staff and volunteers provided over 2200 sessions to 333 people caring for someone with a life limiting illness. This support continues into bereavement.  

These services are provided free and your donation will help us to continue supporting patients and their families in West Cumbria. Your support is greatly appreciated and we will do our best to maximise the benefit it will bring. Most importantly it will help us to continue giving patients with life-limiting illnesses the choice to remain in their own homes to be near their loved ones, and to give them the care they need.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. If my wife does read to the bottom of this page, ok it is a bit of a beano but we're raising money for a good cause, thanks for the oppourtunity x.